The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-21

perduCo qucstlOu, IuST6 eau U6 DuL Oue OpH-
ion in regard to the conspiracies which have
sought and taken the lives of these men be-
cause of their conscientious discharge of
what they believed to be their duty as citi-
zens. EDITOR OF The VOICE"
Mr. r. d. Gambrell, the editor of the
StCord and Shield, the prohibition Or
gan of Mississippi, was assassinated on
Thursday night, May 5, by Jones S. Ham
ilton, the lessee of the State penitentiary
and an acknowledged leader of the Kinds
county whisky ring. The particulars of
the murder are given with detail in the
Voice of May -, and would seem to
place the responsibility for the murder
not only on Hamilton, but also on three
confederates. The coroner's jury brought
in the following verdict:
eve, the jury of inquest in the case of the
death of Roderick Gambrell, find that he
came to his death from pistol shots and
wounds inflicted by the hands of Jones S.
Hamilton as principal and others as abettors
unknown to the jury. &c D. SIDNEY,
"F. KALAR,
81. M. HITE,
81. M. H. MARTIN,
"H. @. HALLIDAY"
The sixth juror, A. E. Van Buren,, wrote as
his verdict:
al dissent from the above verdict but agree
to the following: We, the jury of inquest in
the case of the deatS'of Roderick Gambrell,
find that he came to his death from wounds
by pistol in the hands of Jones S. Hamil-
ton"
The particulars as published in The
Voice indicate that the murder was pre-
arranged. Mr.. Gambrell was on his way
home in vehicle with other persons on
the fatal night, and was attacked just as
he had crossed over Town Greek bridge
one of the loneliest quarters of the city.
Three pistols flashed instantaneously
from as many directions and converging
on the same object; and one more dis
tinct shot, proceeded from the place
where young Gambrell was found q
moment later, speechless and dying, ter
ribly shot in the left side of the head
through the body below the middle of
the waist and from the right through
the right knee. One of the assassins was
seen to run along the middle of the foot
path of the iron bridge, and then, return
ing to where Gambrell had fallen, to
horribly beat the PROSTATE body. The
dying man was found with his forehead
fractured and frightfully mutilated from
the blows dealt by the butt end of heavy
pistol, and his face and head all stream.
ing with blood.
The Voice adds the following:
Hamilton, who was wounded, clsimed
that he was attacked by Gambrell, and
that he defended himself singly and
alone; and he AYERS that he himself did
the bloody crime of fendishly msuling
the head of the dying man. Hamilton's
story is, that he was riding in his buggy,
and that when he got on the bridge the
vehicle was fired into by Gambrell. But
a cloud OF witnesses testify to prove that
Hamilton had three or four confederates;
and Gambrell's wounds prove this.
"As yet, no one has been able to identi-
fly Hamilton's associate, but the persons
first on the scene were three prominent
whisky men, henchmen of Hamilton's,
who had grudges of long standing against
Gambrell.
"R. ID. Gambrell was an able, bold and
relentless enemy of the liquor traffic, and
had often exposed these mems villainy
and corruption. Ten days before the
killing, in the SlCOrd and Shield Gam
brell had an article in relation to Hamil-
toms proposed candidacy for the State
Senate, alleging that Hamilton was try
ing to defraud the State Of $4,000 by
means of loophole in bis bond as lessee
OF the penitentiary, and that he was I'M
fit for the office. A street fight was pre-
dieted at the time, but Gambrell had as
from Hamilton's friends that
L othing would be done, and was totally
off his guard.
"All unprecedented persons declare this
TO be the most dastardly assassination !
ever committed in Mississippi GAM |
brell was talented, upright young man,
and was the son of Rev. j. b. GambrelI, |
the most prominent Baptist minister in
Mississippi. Hamilton is about so years
old. He was wounded in the arm and |
but not fatally" |